‘Pehredaar…’ makers come on ‘right track’ with ‘Rishta Likhenge…’

Mumbai, Nov 7 (IANS) The makers of controversial TV show "Pehredaar Piya Ki", which was pulled off air in August due to its "obnoxious" plot, have returned -- this time on the "right track" -- with a new entertainer "Rishta Likhenge Hum Naya" to showcase a fresh storyline with the same cast.

Sony Entertainment Television had pulled "Pehredaar Piya Ki" off air after a lot of complaints to the Broadcasting Content Complaints Council (BCCC) against the show which revolved around an 18-year-old girl marrying a nine-year-old boy. The decision was reportedly taken under pressure from the Ministry of Information and Broadcasting.

"We never thought that there was anything wrong in that story. Sometimes you can't predict anything in advance. As makers, it's our job to first identify if the show is going to be loved by the audience or not, will it give some good message. In that, we found that, 'Pehredaar Piya Ki' was perfect," Sumeet Mittal, Founder and Director of Shashi Sumeet Productions, told IANS on the set "Rishta Likhenge Hum Naya" here on Monday.

"But, somewhere it derailed due to wrong rumours or gossips over social media by people who never watched that show. It was the fate of the show and we have to face it. Now we are back again with the same cast, but this time with fresh storyline.

"This show is on a right track because as producers we always try to depict characters, which have elevation. After watching them, people will see a good message coming out for the society. We have always tried to show characters which look beyond the normal and have something aspirational in them," he added.

Actress Tejaswi Prakash, Diya of "Pehredaar Piya Ki", will reprise her role in "Rishta Likhenge Hum Naya". She will be joined by actor Rohit Suchanti, who will be seen as Ratan.

"I don't think this time there will be any controversy as there are shows where a girl is older than her male counterpart. We won't call it a sequel. We have changed the storyline a lot. The characters have evolved now.

"We would have easily called it 'Pehredaar Piya Ki 2' if it was a sequel. But for us, it's like a new show with a new story. We have cut out ourselves also from that show and come out with fresh one," Sumeet said.

Adding to that, Tejaswi told IANS: "It's a new show altogether. I chose this show because it's got a lot for me to do as the female protagonist.

"The show is based on the promise that I had earlier made. This show is not about a hero and I am not somebody who is just dancing around. I am the hero of 'Rishta...'."

Rohit, who didn't watch "Pehredaar Piya Ki", says he feels honoured to be a part of "Rishta Likhenge Hum Naya".

"I have not seen the earlier show, but when 'Rishta...' was offered to me, I felt honoured to be a part of it. I didn't have any work in hand, so this show is going to help me a lot to evolve as an actor," Rohit said.

"Rishta Likhenge Hum Naya", which starts from Tuesday, will also feature Jiten Lalwani, Girish Sachdev and Siddharth Shivpuri among others.